This is a follow-up post that’s closely related to yesterday’s blog post. The same geopolymer technology discussed by Building & Construction & Research & Consultancy (BCRC) could be used for these other applications. I’ve listed them separately here because of the obvious potential for cottage-scale production. In many parts of the world these products and many similar ones are made with Portland due to the lack of rot-resistant wood and because steel quickly rusts in rainy climates. Steel reinforced geopolymer would create superior quality products that outperform current Portland products.

Geopolymer’s superior strength and performance in comparison to Portland is leading to the development of more and more products. Companies such as BCRC in Australia are exploring numerous possibilities. Please let me know of other companies developing similar products.

“BCRC’s team is at the leading edge of Geopolymer research and is perfectly placed to assist companies wanting to take a lead in the lucrative advanced materials market.

Geopolymers were reinvented in the 1970’s but development work has remained of a confidential nature. It has been targeted at specific products for specific companies. Development costs were high but recouped by the mass production in items such as cars. But now development of products is a relatively low cost. Even moderate size companies can afford to become involved.

Sewage pipe: This is an ideal Geopolymer product as factory production will enable accelerated curing to give high throughput and eliminate the cost of pipe liners to protect against Hydrogen Sulphide induced acid attack.Culverts: Culverts often transmit contaminated water leading to chemical attack. Geopolymers will provide a high degree of protection.
Precast facades: Geopolymers will enable lightweight durable panels to be used to reduce the load on the structure and have a double effect on cost reductions.Precast Beams & Columns: There is an increasing trend to using precast beams and columns to reduce construction programmes and minimize on site labour. Geopolymers will enable quicker production and reduced member sizes due to the higher load capacities.Precast Piles: Geopolymers are particularly suited to the use of precast piles in Acid Sulphate Soils, a major issue in NSW and Queensland.”

I imagine we’ll be seeing a lot more labs like this as schools and businesses race to develop the best geopolymer products. Think how much money is spent on Portland cement (it’s the most traded commodity in the world after water). Geopolymer is superior to Portland in many ways and now that money is starting to pour into geopolymer. This switchover to geopolymer is going to effect all aspects of construction. As usual, those who are knowledgeable about its use will benefit the most.

Improved structural efficiency in terms of strength/weight ratios resulting load reduction on the structure and substructure, fewer structural components resulting in more usable space in the structure, a reduction in the number and size of reinforcements, increased flexibility in absorbing strains and improved thermal properties minimizing the effects of differential temperatures resulting in building energy conservation as well as improved fire/spalling mitigation.

It is ideally suited for precast concrete products as larger units can be handled with the same handling equipment or manually for same size units, resulting in speed and economy in construction. These units in addition to smaller ones can be lifted or managed by down-sizing machinery resulting in reducing site cranage requirements and maximizing the number of concrete elements on trucks without exceeding highway load limits reducing transportation delivery cost.

Wiki — Concrete Leveling (mudjacking)
“Concrete leveling is a procedure that attempts to correct an uneven concrete surface by altering the foundation that the surface sits upon. It is a cheaper alternative to having replacement concrete poured, and commonly performed at small businesses and private homes.”

GeoProppants Inc. is a research and development company that owns and is continuing to develop a unique lightweight Geopolymer Proppant with technical characteristics that have been sought after for years. This revolutionary proppant, GeoProp, is manufactured with a proprietary chemical and mechanical process that eliminates the need for sintering. This allows us to adjust critical properties such as specific gravity and crush strength while retaining near perfect roundness and sphericity.

From Wiki:
While the main industrial use of hydraulic fracturing is in stimulating production from oil and gas wells, hydraulic fracturing is also applied to:

– Stimulating groundwater wells
– Preconditioning rock for caving or inducing rock to cave in mining
– As a means of enhancing waste remediation processes (usually hydrocarbon waste or spills) or spills.
– Dispose of waste by injection into suitable deep rock formations
– As a method to measure the stress in the earth.

Discovering and learning about new business opportunities is a common thread throughout many of the posts on this blog. Like I said in the previous blog post, I believe there’s enormous potential in geopolymer micro concrete roofing since millions of homes use this type of roofing. It’s very practical. Production techniques range from extremely simple hand-made processes to expensive machinery, so you can choose what’s affordable and appropriate for your situation.